A family was forced to flee their home after a Chinese sky lantern set fire to
their roof, in the latest accident caused by the so-called "floating
fireworks".

Anne-Marie Cobb, 40, and her children Samuel, eight, and Amelia, six, were asleep when the lit paper lantern landed on top of their family home.

A fire quickly took hold in the timber frame house, lighting up the insulation in the roof and spreading to within two feet from where the youngest child was sleeping.

Fortunately a neighbour spotted the flames, dialled 999 and helped evacuate the family.

The fire is the latest dangerous incident involving Chinese sky lanterns, which are increasingly released at weddings and other celebrations. Farmers groups and fire service chiefs have urged people to use them with caution.

The ancient Chinese decorations, which are supposed to bring good luck, first became popular in Britain a couple of years ago among tourists who had enjoyed their beauty on holiday to the Far East.

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Exporters started bringing the lanterns to Britain and they are now sold in shops across country for £2 to £5, with more than 100,000 sold last year.

The paper balloons, which can float up to a mile into the air when the candle-like fuel cell is lit, are constructed with metal wire.

The idea is that the fire will go out by the time the lanterns come back to earth, but they often come down when the lantern is still burning.

Brigades across the country have been called out 100 times in the past two years to put out fires caused by the lanterns.

The latest incidence in Trowbridge, Wiltshire sparked fears the lanterns could cause injury in future.

A fire broke out in the extention of the semi-detached house, worth around £200,000. The whole of the wooden extension, used as a conservatory, was destroyed though the damage to the house itself was minimal.

Mrs Cobb said she was lucky no one was hurt when the lantern crashed into the rear of her property.

"It was well alight. I have a fire extinguisher but there was no way I could put it out, it was a big blaze. It's not a good feeling standing watching your house burning.

"I was just thinking how lucky we were. Because it was the rear of the property I don't think anyone else would have seen it," she said.

"I want to say thank you to my neighbours and to the firefighters. It could have been a lot worse and we were very lucky."

Glyn Moody, Trowbridge fire station manager, called on people to be more careful about releasing sky lanterns.

Although there are no restrictions in place in Britain, fire brigades have issued advice on releasing them. They say the lamps should only be released in still conditions and away from any homes or other obstacles. The lamps are only allowed to be released under controlled circumstances in Austria and Germany

"They were extremely lucky. Chinese lanterns are very attractive when flying, but we would urge people to think twice before lighting them in residential areas. there is a real risk."

The National Farmers Union want the lanterns banned after several crops were ruined by fire.

There is also a risk to livestock eating a piece of a lantern’s wire frame and rupturing the stomach and both cows and horses have been injured or killed.

Concerns have also been raised by RNLI, which has reported a large increase in the number of call-outs after the lights from lanterns were mistaken for distress flares.

The Aviation industry is also keeping an eye on the situation. East Midlands and Manchester airports have warned against launching Chinese lanterns beneath its flight paths, claiming they could get sucked into plane engines.